The Seven Deadly Sins
by Reona-chan
Summary: For Artemis had done all of them, and would have to suffer the consequences. Butler/Artemis slash!
1. Pride

**Author's Notes: **I've been meaning to do this for a while. The Seven Deadly Sins has had me smitten, and the first thing that came to mind was Artemis Fowl and Domovoi Butler. Mm, delicious. Er, anyway, this first chapter has a bit of spoilers for the seventh chapter of the first book, yeah. This is before Holly like, worked her magic on Butler to bring him back to life. So, mmhmm. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: Not mine, Eoin Colfer owns them. If Artemis Fowl was mine, it wouldn't be a book for kids, after all..**

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_**The Seven Deadly Sins**_

**P R I D E**

Artemis Fowl was the depiction of perfection.

Ivory skin, silky dark tresses; and sparkling, albeit blank, icy blue optics.

The epitome of perfection – the Alpha, the Omega.

Artemis Fowl – was perfect.

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Born into the notorious Fowl family, it is only natural for a boy such as himself to indulge himself in criminal activities. Stealing from the poor, and giving to the rich (or, in other words, himself); a reversed form of Robin Hood, perhaps blasphemic, if you think about it, is what the boy does best. He has no sense of justice, and if he does; then it is most likely that he has the ability to mask it well.

Artemis, as a child, had shown no signs of becoming a boy such as this. He had been innocent, only much more curious than your average child; and had always been touching objects in fascination. While a few months old, he would have placed his hands on people's faces and move his fingers around, catching their expressions – as he had yet to have the ability to see. When vision was given to him, he had used it to its fullest extent, his pupils always moving in different directions; his head always turning from side to side. Had human beings been given the ability to turn their head three-hundred-and-sixty degrees, he would have been doing that almost all the time.

As a toddler, he had memorized the multiplication table; and the periodic table of elements. His parents, generally impressed with their young boy's talents, had been proud of him; buying him books and other items to satiate his thirst for knowledge. Artemis, of course, had used all of these to their fullest; usually finishing more than five books everyday. This, had an impact as well to his manservant and bodyguard, Domovoi Butler, who had gained an extra workout having to carry the boy all the time due to his excessive grabbing of books from the manor's library.

He had been a happy child, satisfied with everything; content with the life he was living. Artemis had grown up with purity, joy; and success, with Butler in his shadow all the time to help him up during the times he would fall.

So what, pray tell, had gone wrong?

Artemis had been such a bright, amazing boy; with no care in the world for evil, so how could one such as he; slowly dwindle down to the adolescent he was now?

_Pride._

Artemis had no interest in compassion, in companion, in _love_, the moment his father had gone in his Fowl Star and never came back. Of course, there came the occasional worrying for his mother; but no longer did he seek attention. People coming to him, asking for friendship, he would only push away; causing him to be either one of the most sought-after boys in Saint Bartleby's, or one of the most hated.

Pride had caused him to lose everything, his popularity, his humility, his happiness. Artemis had ended up thinking himself better than everyone, seeing as he had managed to uphold the Fowl legacy, even with the loss of his father and a huge chunk of their economy being destroyed. He had managed to cope with his mother's mental insanity, with Juliet's constant pleas for him to return to the Artemis everyone knew and loved. But it was not everyone that Artemis wanted, it was only one; who always seemed to shatter his pride in the smallest of moments.

He, however, had managed to mask such frequent breakings with his flawless exterior, the soft, porcelain skin; the beautiful dark locks, the shimmering blue eyes that rivaled that of his fathers, if it was not better. Artemis has beaten the greatest minds in his haste to become the best, to become the one everyone would look up to.

But he was stuck, in delusions; in the thought that when he would fall and eventually lose everything, that people would be crawling back to him, as he was the king, the ruler, the emperor of the world.

And for once, at the age of twelve, Artemis had been shattered.

A slight blip, an unexpected mistake in his calculations, and the life of the only person he cared about was held on the line. The only person that Artemis sought love from, though knew he would never receive it; the one person that could break his pride and cause him to bow down, craving hungrily for said human.

Artemis had been near-tears at the sight of the man's dying form, the blood practically spilling from his chest wound; as the mindless, lustful creature continued to thrash around violently. It was the first time, since his father's disappearance, that he had actually cried. He was surprised, to find salty tears rolling down his cheeks, as he watched the only person he ever cared for: dying, losing the radiance Artemis so loved about him.

What had once been perfection had broken in two, leaving him painful; different, and changed. For, when he spotted Butler in that situation, his heart had bled; and he had yearned for nothing more than to take back everything he had done. He was much too late, now, to save him; to show him the compassion he was capable of giving but didn't give, thinking that he was much too important to focus on such useless aspects of life.

What had once been the epitome of pride – was now nothing but grief, melancholy; and broken pieces.

Reaching out, to the screen; knowing that he was locked in this blasted room by that frustrating fairy, he tried his very best to save him; praying in different languages, crying out of pain, out of remorse – out of the realization that he was too late to ever love.

"Oh, Butler.." sobbed the boy, his pale, almost lifeless form on the floor, tears spilling from the slits in-between his fingers. He couldn't remember the last time someone so affected him, and he continued to cry; unable to keep from doing so. His pride was now forgotten, and all he could think of now was the fact that he could have prevented this, had pride not taken him; had he not thought he was invincible and his scheme would have worked.

If Butler was gone, he would not be strong; he would be vulnerable, and weak, and unable to do anything. Butler was the only one he was trying to be strong for, the only one he was trying to impress; the reason he had become so great in intelligence and skill. The one man he thought he would ever love; now near-death, and Artemis had no other choice but to just cry his sorrows out.

For what had once been the complete depiction of pride had finally shattered; and what was once a strong man had become nothing but a boy, an ordinary boy, whose love will never be returned.

And now, he realized, although it was too late – that pride had been his downfall.


	2. Envy

**Author's Notes: **Oh my gosh! Reona-chan's updating quicker than normal! It's the apocalypse, everyone run!

WAIT, NO, I DIDN'T MEAN IT! READ THIS FIRST!

Hehe. Enjoy.

Oh, er, before I forget.. this is basically a series of one-shots, yeah. They're inter-related, somehow, like if you don't read a certain chapter, you wouldn't understand the next.

Sorry if they are out-of-character. I have only read the first and seventh books in the series. –sheepish smile-

**Disclaimer: objectionplz.**

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_**Moi and Kyugima: **_Thank you for the compliment. Kyahaha. I'm going to start on a Death Note one soon.. just in case you're interested. –grins- I dunno how I write like.. this, I suppose. I just do. :P

_**Opal Roseblossom: **_I feel your pain. I browse random things overnight, too. :D Thank you muchly for the compliment. I feel so loved right now. Lawlz.

_**Song Of Eternity: **_Thank you! Here's your wish: a nice, fresh update, straight from the.. oven?

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_**The Seven Deadly Sins**_

**E N V Y**

Freedom – what was _freedom_?

There was, of course, the general definition in a dictionary – but what _was_ it? How could you characterize such a term, without having felt it yourself?

Freedom.

_Could I be free?_

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Artemis stared out the window.

Glassy, cerulean optics stared at the outside world; a hand only briefly resting upon his chin as he continued to look towards the place he would never be able to bring himself to step into. Lips were pursed as he shifted position, attempting to sit like a normal teenager and failing – ending up sitting in his regular, slightly stiff manner. A slight sigh, a small huff of frustration, and Artemis had ended up on the ground.

For such a situation to make sense, perhaps you would have to turn back time or something of the sort – and find out what happened to cause the male to act this way.

It all started with his report card.

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Now, if you knew Artemis Fowl the Second (which I am sure you do, since he is, after all, our little protagonist), you would suspect his report cards to be perfect, flawless – filled with A pluses and one-hundred percents. That assumption is true, he would have gotten those grades, those high-standard marks that most children would kill to obtain –

- if his report card came in the first place.

Unfortunately, Artemis had not the time to print a false one, and thus on the supposed 'day' of him receiving his report card, he came up with nothing. Nada. Poof.

And, his mother would not leave him alone until he would either show it to her (which he honestly and truly preferred), or come clean (which he did not do, for if you knew Artemis Fowl well, then he was not a quitter).

Juliet, in her excitement (she had fallen for Artemis's little magic trick, and had also been under the presumption that he was indeed going to Saint Bartleby's), had ripped open the envelope before Artemis got to put his little pawn in it; and thus revealed a lie the boy had been putting up for the longest time.

And that; was what earned him a little time on his own, all the way up in his room.

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"Butler."

Artemis's tone was stern, professional; the boy was trying his very best not to have any sort of emotion in it. Sad, really, how he was slowly falling in and out of love with his bodyguard, especially since said bodyguard would most likely not have any interest in him at all. Of course, besides the ones he was designated to have.

Almost instantly, the Eurasian man was at his side, having forgotten to dispose of a utensil he was using not too long ago; the knife still having cake frosting on it. No doubt, he was cutting a slice for the genius's afternoon snack – which he always prepared with the greatest care. Despite the slight miscalculation, Artemis would always get his little treats, for the boy knew that nothing, not even his mother, would stand in Butler's way.

"Yes, Master Artemis?"

Artemis's imagination went a little overboard at the word that came before the name, and he sighed; looking out the window once more. What _had_ he called Butler for, anyway? Perhaps it was another one of those stages that adolescent boys went through, perhaps it was just another sick trick his mind somehow loved to play on him; perhaps it was the thing he feared the most.

Dark blue eyes, blinked at the lack of response, and Butler walked silently towards his charge, placing a large hand on his shoulder.

"Are you displeased with the order your mother placed on you?"

The adolescent turned his head, looking up at the other man; lips curving up into what one could only distinguish as a small smile – perhaps a mocking one, but a smile nonetheless; and he coughed. Artemis gestured almost lamely at the chair across from him, and swallowed. _Talk about it now, idiot!_ screamed his conscience, whacking him with a baseball bat of sorts. _You may not get another chance, you know? Butler's got other things to do than tend to your every need!_

The prodigy almost winced, though managed to regain his composure, only letting his gaze rest on Butler's lean form; sitting on the chair, back straightened in some sort of polite posture, hands on his lap; knife on the table in-between (indeed, Artemis's room was well-furnished, for the boy could spend days in there up to no end). Artemis swallowed the ball of lead in his throat, and sighed.

_Is he going to accept me?_

_Will I really be freed?_

These questions swarmed his mind, causing him to get dizzy and yet feel butterflies in his stomach all at the same time – of confusion, of discomfort; of love.

Artemis had to accept it. Like everything else.

"_Accept it, boy! Your father is gone!"_

"_You got a ninety-nine percent in your Math homework."_

"_Why did you change, Artemis?!"_

"_Artemis, what did you do?"_

Artemis this, Artemis that. He was practically the person that held all the grief, all the sorrow, all because they had perceived him to be a prideful boy. But he changed, really, he **changed**! Lips pursed, the boy sighed, giving in to his vulnerabilities, his discomfort – his sensations and dreams.

"Butler, I.. I'm.."

Artemis warily stared out the window, seeing a flock of birds flying; free, not a care in the world. The boy would have cursed them, seeing them able to enjoy life as is without worrying anything – though he would never bring himself to say that he _envied_ them. No, he was not jealous of some _brainless _animal. He had self-worth. He was special. He was –

- once more falling into the lie that pride molded him to be.

It was envy, he told himself, envy. He was jealous of those who were free, who had no legacy to uphold, who had everything and nothing to live for. Artemis, he was the man of the family now. He lived just for bringing some money home. He lived to keep other people living. He lived a life with no sense.

Envy.

Funny, how it hadn't changed him.

Delving much too long into his thoughts, Butler had made a motion to stand; seeing as the boy with which had addressed him so formally needed more time to think.

"Butler, wait!"

The bodyguard turned his head, staring at the adolescent with a small quirk of the eyebrow; still confused as to what it was Artemis was to imply. The boy felt his throat turn dry, and he turned his head to the window; looking for help, something of the sort, before sighing.

He was locked up in this room, locked in his thoughts – and there would be no salvation. Nobody would save him. Not even Butler; for the bodyguard could not know.

Artemis gave a small wave of the hand, feeling his heart grow heavy in his chest; constricting, causing him to have difficulty breathing. It always hurt, to lie to Butler, to not be able to share how you felt with the person you cared for most, but it would have to do. He would be left alone, should he come clean, and he would have nothing.

With a small nod, and a soft 'take care of yourself', Butler walked out of the room, leaving Artemis to his reverie; his thoughts, his delusional mind-exercises that drove him insane and got him smarter at the same time.

Outside, a crow cawed.

And inside; therein sat a porcelain doll, trapped in a lonely abyss and never to return – envying a flock of birds that mocked him constantly.

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**Author's Notes: **I am not very pleased with how this turned out. –sigh- I think I half-assed on this one. I do hope it is still presentable, however.


End file.
